Hmmmm?

[Trip McNeely]

https://www.inforum.com/sports/outd...av7adFnTvZEuegCBtX5Elpdi-kr3C--UyFHPRuezLKbn4. I see their point but when the pendulum swings one way shouldnt it swing back the other way?...... how many trucks run overloaded all fall? Does farm machinery need permits to travel state hwys? This is a shitty situation and am not condoning if in fact some of the trails got ripped up but it seems evident to me there is an apparent smear campaign aimed at hunters right now...... somebody wants hunters and farmers fighting.... who is the question?

 

[PrairieGhost]

I don't know what to make of these roads. I was out in the Badlands last week for two days. I noticed oil workers digging their way to wells in their 4X4. It's hard to complain about that since they built the road and I would guess they must get to the rig for some reason. Likewise most of the damage I seen around home was trucks loaded with beans. I realize they have to get their crops off and have no ill feelings about that, but some of those same farmers blame it on hunters. Is it because they want automatic posting. I don't know, but I sometimes suspect that. I seen one heavily loaded stock trailer coming off a trail and onto Magpie road. Evidently they were pulling their cattle out. I think it's different people in different situations. Yes there are a few unthinking hunters, but far more ranchers and farmers are damaging the roads. Especially with the big rigs. Perhaps it's unavoidable, but don't blame everything on the hunters. I'm not calling the landowners disrespectful why do they feel they must call hunters disrespectful?
When they say they fear retaliation it's simply a smear campaign. One has to ask why. Statements like that make me wonder if they tore up their own roads to push and agenda. That's not an accusation just a suspicion.

Edit: For the record I love beef. I grilled ribeye last night. However I run across an article this morning that I thought was ironic. I feel like hunters get badmouthed today and asked for support tomorrow.

On a rainy September morning, a pair of cattle ranchers browsed the refrigerated meat cases at a Walmart Inc. store in Mandan, N.D., snapping cellphone photos of an unwelcome invader among the shrink-wrapped ground beef: Beyond Meat Inc. BYND 2.81% patties, made from pea protein and coconut oil. After a separate check at a nearby local supermarket, the ranchers headed to the North Dakota Department of Health. They showed officials the photos and warned of food-safety risks from mixing plant burgers with the traditional beef kind.

 

[johnr]

The roads are owned by all of us. Regardless of your occupation.
It was also a very unusually wet year out west here. Most of this damage is in direct results of this.

 

[KDM]

This is so ridiculously easy to spot the "Who". Think the "Anti-hunting" hosers, the "Everything is Posted" crowd, and the totally made up "we have an epidemic of trespassing" hammerheads. In an attempt to get the trespass bill passed the next time around, the narrative of "those awful hunters" has to be kept front and center. Even though my money on those torn up roads is on oil field workers just doing their jobs. Where is the proof of those responsible for the ruts in those roads were hunters??? Can't ruts be fixed with a simple pass of a road grader?? What about roads getting wash boardy?? Isn't that damage to the road as well and are hunters responsible for that?? I'm throwing the BULLSH*T FLAG on this one. See this for what it is. A liberal narrative dedicated to a specific political agenda.


P.S. I especially LOVED the horseshit about these phantom ranchers will only speak under the condition of anonymity. Where have we seen these "Phantom Ranchers" before folks?? Oh and lets not forget that this is public land and that all this travel was done ON THE ROAD where it's supposed to be done and not up through the hills off road. So essentially, we have folks obeying the law by staying on the roads and these people are STILL NOT HAPPY and want hunters to be blamed!!!! Anyone else smell something here??

 

[guywhofishes]

what a load of hogwash - rancher afraid of retribution by hunters? - riiight

 

[Uncle Jimbo]

This is an unfortunate incident published in a pretty biased article. The roads on public land (if open to public motor vehicle travel) are there for the public to use. We all own those roads and have a right to use them. If they were in fact hunters, I wish they would have walked and not driven on wet roads creating ruts, but it is their right to do so and am glad they kept traffic to designated roads. My personal preference (or anyone else’s for that matter) does not supersede the USFS travel management plan and restrictions.

I missed the portions of article where section line roads that are now impassable due to hay and grain hauling in wet conditions were highlighted. Where significant damage to both paved and unpaved roads from heavy oilfield traffic occurred. I guess record moisture levels should only affect the travel of hunters and not that of anyone else in the state.

There is a small faction of people wanting to further the divide between hunters and landowners in this state. That seemed to be much of what this article was trying to do. What I think they fail to realize is the more people are distanced from agriculture, through efforts like the article above, the more apathy they feel toward ag producers in times of low prices, severe weather events and in issues like synthetic meat and the push against GMO crops. Be careful what you wish for...

 

[guywhofishes]

[FONT=&quot]“lies a patch of federal land that is, according to local ranchers, under attack.”

see how they manipulate emotions in their reporting - clearly a hit piece on hunting[/FONT]

- - - Updated - - -

and ranchers never abuse federal land? this article steams me - there’s a$$hats on both sides - why didn’t the article point that out?

- - - Updated - - -

“[FONT=&quot]dispirited as he clutched the disfigured road’s cold, moist mud.”

good grief[/FONT]

- - - Updated - - -

“[FONT=&quot]in fear of retaliatory hunters killing his stock”

wtf[/FONT]

 

[Kurtr]

If a rancher wrote that shit Epstein killed him self........... Most those guys I have met are not afraid to put there name behind what they say or say it to your face.

- - - Updated - - -

Kdm hit nail on head

 

[johnr]

I personally know several farmers south of Belfield, never heard a one of them or their neighbors complain about hunters, or them gripping the cold wet soil in their hands, and fearing hunters, fuck they are all hunters themselves.

Unusually wet season creates situations of the like, and farmers know this more than anyone. Pretty sure the entire article is made up, but if it isn’t, eff them farmers and the cold wet soil that was legally driven on.

also the Fagro forum is absolute trash.

 

[1lessdog]

Maybe Fritz can chime in

I personally know several farmers south of Belfield, never heard a one of them or their neighbors complain about hunters, or them gripping the cold wet soil in their hands, and fearing hunters, fuck they are all hunters themselves.

Unusually wet season creates situations of the like, and farmers know this more than anyone. Pretty sure the entire article is made up, but if it isn’t, eff them farmers and the cold wet soil that was legally driven on.

also the Fagro forum is absolute trash.

This is something that Fritz would say behind someone's back. And then say something else to a persons face.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

Farmers, locals, and outdoor enthusiasts are all to blame IMO. All parties will do what it takes to secure their business, everyday life and their fun. The only thing I’d add is that the locals travel some of these roads on a more regular basis than others. Also, locals typically have a better knowledge of when roads should and shouldn’t be traveled. I purposely used “farmers, outdoors enthusiasts, and locals” with strategy. This is not a farmer vs hunter thing IMO. This is life

 

[riverview]

sad to say but typical news story now days can hardly believe what you hear or read.

 

[Sum1]

Public roads and a wet year. Just someone bitching. If it wasn’t this it would be something else. No story.

 

[guywhofishes]

So who “called this story in” to the forum in the first place?

I have a pretty good guess. Ha ha ha.

 

[DirtyMike]

 

[guywhofishes]

ba ha ha! we found the offender

 

[Fritz the Cat]

This is something that Fritz would say behind someone's back. And then say something else to a persons face.

Take your muddy boots off before you walk across someone's hard wood floor and try to not drive making more ruts. A little common sense goes a long way.

1lessdog, not sure why you thought it necessary to include me in this discussion?

 

[Obi-Wan]

" Now with modern ATVs and everything, there’s starting to be a lot more damage to the prairie and it’s sad.”

The only one I saw driving off the trails and across grasslands was the local rancher and no there were no cattle in that section at the time

this is the same rancher that was driving his UTV through and around this same section last year.

 

[GSM]

Since we’re on the subject. I was out west during the rifle season and it was a little concerning with where people were driving. I was under the assumption on the grasslands the only drivable trails had to have a numbered grasslands plaque on them? Is this not the case? EVERY 2 track to every tank or gate was being driven on all over. I run a trax chip and it shows these trails, but they are not on the grasslands map or numbered. Spoke with a land owner of plots that connects with grasslands and he was not happy. I know outside of grasslands the rules are something about an established trail has to be visible, but thought that was different on grasslands? I am not 100% sure on this rule, but if I am not 150% sure I can drive the trail or road I do not.

 

[Allen]

It's not like NDGF was going to extend the rifle season to allow the roads and trails to dry out.

Don't get me wrong, I try like hell to avoid testing my truck's 4WD, and quite honestly...I use the 4WD a lot just so I don't spin the back tires on greasy surfaces that I could easily (with fun) traverse.

Other than that, I am not at all surprised by the ranchers (even the one that's 2 miles away from the trail under discussion) from wanting to put his name out there. There have been chains found in corn fields, grain bins opened, and other nefarious BS as of late. Nobody wins in this game of Dumb.